Saudi Arabia: SDAIA, Microsoft to set up AI Center of Excellence

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The Saudi Data and AI Authority (SDAIA) and Microsoft on Wednesday signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to strengthen their ongoing collaboration and advance innovation in the kingdom's Generative AI sector.

The agreement was formalised during the third edition of the Global AI Summit (GAIN 2024) being held at the King Abdulaziz International Conference Center in Riyadh.

The summit has brought together leading international experts and scientists in the field of technology.

The MoU, signed by Dr Yaser bin Mohammed Alonaizan, CEO of the National Center for AI (NCAI) at SDAIA, and Turki Badhris, President of Microsoft Arabia, aims to establish a comprehensive framework for collaboration between the two parties in several key areas. This includes the development of a joint Center of Excellence dedicated to accelerating innovation in the field of Generative AI, with a special focus on Arabic Large Language Models.

The enhanced partnership will also see "ALLaM" – SDAIA’s Arabic LLM - generally available on Microsoft Azure. The model, which was built and trained by SDAIA on Azure’s robust and scalable infrastructure, will enable government institutions and businesses of all sizes to leverage the advanced capabilities of ALLaM to build their own Arabic AI applications to overcome challenges, optimise operations, enhance customer engagement, and accelerate digital transformation.

Additionally, SDAIA has announced that "ALLaM" has achieved global recognition as the leading Arabic language model, as assessed by the Arabic MMLU, a prominent standard for Large Language Models.

The partnership will also encompass the establishment of the Microsoft AI Academy in collaboration with the SDAIA Academy. This initiative aims to build national capacities in AI through various joint programs, including the Microsoft Azure Professional Certification Program, which will provide local talent with globally recognized certifications; and the Athka University Competition, in partnership with the Imagine Cup Competition, to encourage Saudi youth to participate in international competitions.

These initiatives are integral to SDAIA's ongoing efforts to spearhead the development of the data and AI landscape in Saudi Arabia. They highlight SDAIA’s commitment to developing competitive national capacities and reinforcing the Kingdom's position as a global leader in this field.